Tag Africa

The Camera Watching You Was Never Meant to Keep You Safe

CCTV camera monitoring crowded city street pedestrians

At least 11 African governments have invested over US$2 billion in Chinese-built AI-powered surveillance infrastructure — cameras, facial recognition, biometric data collection, and automatic number-plate recognition systems marketed as "smart city" solutions [1]. The countries include Algeria, Egypt, Kenya, Mauritius, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Nigeria alone has spent over US$470 million; Mauritius, US$456 million; Kenya, US$219 million [2]. These are the figures we know. The real totals are almost certainly higher, because surveillance procurement is routinely classified and the report covers only 11 of Africa's 55 nation. #DigitalSurveillance, #FacialRecognition, #HumanRights, #SmartCities, #PrivacyMatters, #MassSurveillance

Three Years, 14 Million Displaced — and You Barely Noticed

Large refugee camp with UN aid trucks

Do you remember the last time Sudan made your front page? Thought not. On April 15, 2023, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) — two military machines that once shared the same barracks and the same sponsors — turned their guns on each other [1]. Three years later, 34 million people, 65 percent of Sudan's entire population, need humanitarian support. Fourteen million are displaced. Famine has been confirmed in Darfur and the Kordofans [2]. And yet, if you scan the headlines today, you will find more ink devoted to a celebrity divorce than to the largest displacement crisis on Earth. We have become experts at looking away. #SudanCrisis, #SaveSudan, #KeepEyesOnSudan, #SudanWar, #HumanitarianCrisis, #Darfur